RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Italy recorded 368 new deaths related to the new coronavirus in 24 hours, which raises the number of fatalities to 1,809 in the country, the most affected in Europe, according to a report released on Sunday, March 15th by the Civil Protection.
As on Saturday, March 14th, the number of infected people also increased, with 3,590 new cases in 24 hours, almost 100 more than the increase over the previous day, bringing the total to almost 25,000.
The northern region of Lombardy, where Milan is located, remains the most affected, with 1,218 dead and 13,272 cases.
Silvio Brusaferro, head of Italy’s national health institute, said it is unclear whether Italy is reaching its peak and may begin to see the number of new cases decrease.
Europe is trying to establish protective measures against the advancing pandemic of the new coronavirus, which has already caused 2,000 deaths on the continent.
The virus is starting to undermine the principle of an almost borderless European Union: the German authorities have decided to close the country’s borders with France, Switzerland and Austria as of Monday, March 16th.
Paris also announced a strengthening of border controls with Germany, although with no partial closure as decided by the neighboring country’s government.
The pandemic has exceeded the worldwide 6,000-dead and 160,000-infected thresholds, according to reports by international bodies. But despite concerns, the French turned up on Sunday for their municipal elections.
Attendance was visibly low at 5 PM (1 PM in Brasília): 38.77 percent compared to 54.72 percent in the first round in 2014, the date of the last municipal elections. Voting was clouded by the coronavirus, which has already infected 4,499 people and left 91 dead in the country.
Spain – the second most affected country in Europe behind Italy – has 288 deaths, 100 more than on Saturday, and 7,753 infected, 2,000 more than the day before. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a socialist, announced on Saturday night severe restrictions on the country’s 46 million inhabitants, who will only be able to leave their homes to buy food or medicine, go to medical centers, go to work or take care of dependents (children, the elderly and people with special needs).